A boardwalk hot-springs village on the north shore of Tenakee Inlet, where a public bathhouse and a small-boat float draw cruisers, though the steep-to shoreline leaves only a narrow shelf to anchor off town.
Tenakee Springs is a roadless community of about 100 people strung along a single waterfront boardwalk on the east side of Chichagof Island, roughly 10 miles inside Tenakee Inlet from Chatham Strait. The big draw is the geothermal bathhouse in the middle of town, a free, donation-supported public hot spring (about 107 F) with separate men's and women's hours, just steps from the water.
Most visiting boats tie to the city harbor floats or grab a transient moorage slip; the harbor lies about half a mile east of the town center. Where slips are full, vessels anchor off the town frontage, but the usable shelf is narrow because the inlet bottom drops away steeply just offshore. Ashore you will find a mercantile, grocery, liquor store, bakery and a lodge, plus a fuel dock with limited hours.
It is a quiet, time-warp sort of place reached only by floatplane or the state ferry, where the pace is set by the tide and the bathhouse schedule rather than the clock.
Approach notes, hazards to watch for, and what's available once you're tied up.
Approach is from Chatham Strait through the mouth of Tenakee Inlet and then west along the north shore. The inlet itself is deep and generally clean, but the water close to town is steep-to: charts show only a thin shelf of about 2 fathoms near the beach before depths plunge to 100-200+ feet a short distance offshore, so the anchoring band off the village is limited and a careless approach can leave you in water too deep to anchor.
Watch for the drying flats and shoal off the creek/town frontage and stay off the float-line, and time arrival around the tidal current that runs through the inlet on the flood and ebb. The harbor floats are the more reliable option; reserve anchoring for settled weather and use a trip line where the bottom is uncertain.
Wind protection summary and tide planning at a glance. Full per-direction and 7-day detail with Plus.
Live readings from the nearest OpenWeather station and WorldTides; refreshed every few minutes.
Source: OpenWeather One Call API + WorldTides.
A curated photo + map walkthrough showing approach, mooring options, and points of interest.
A guided walkthrough of Tenakee Springs with approach photos, depth notes, and points of interest — written by members who have been here recently.
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Real first-hand reports and questions answered by members who have actually been here.
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